Lot 1016 Nα

This altarpiece can be stylistically allocated to early 16th century Antwerp and has retained its original frame to this day. The central panel depicts the deposition and lamentation of Christ. The body of Jesus is shown lain on a cloth in the foreground, mourned by the Virgin and Saint John. This central panel is flanked by images of Saint Nicodemus holding the crown of thorns on the left and the kneeling Mary Magdalene on the right. All three panels are stylistically connected by the rocky landscape background.
The figural composition, palette and landscape all reveal the influence of Pieter Coecke van Aelst, whose work was highly significant for the development of painting in 16th century Antwerp. The female figures also show similarities to those of the Master of the Female Half-Lengths. The work was almost certainly conceived as a domestic altarpiece, designed to focus the viewer's mind and emotions on the events of Christ's death through the depiction of his body, the mourning Virgin and Saint John and the instruments of the Passion.